7 Things I Do That Upset Jesus

In today’s Christian subculture it is trendy to spend a lot of time pointing out what “Christianity” is doing wrong. Many Christ followers get whipped into a lather when they start talking about “religion” and how our faith life should reject this concept and a relationship should be embraced instead. I get it…God is looking for a relationship not a religion…Christians constantly mess up and make the Kingdom look like a joke, but while I could sit here all day and talk about what everyone else is doing wrong I get uncomfortable when I think about the ways I make Jesus upset. It is hard to admit, but it may speak to others.

Today, I want to talk about 7 things I do that make Jesus upset:

1. I incorrectly define “blessing”-Too often, when I think about the concept of blessing I get it mixed up with being pampered by God. Blessing, in my experience, has more to do with enjoying God’s favor…not collecting more possessions and marinating in temporary happiness. Remember, even though we do not like to admit it, Job was blessed. Not because he got his stuff back at the end of the Old Testament story, but because of his closeness with the Father.

2. I label too many things “legalism”- When I am confronted with a Biblical truth that puts me in my place or rebukes a pattern of behavior; it makes me uncomfortable. I want to live my life the way I feel is right, and often when approached in this way I claim that the information being presented is legalistic. I would rather stick with the way I think about things or react to situations and convince myself that Jesus is still happy with me despite my disobedience to Biblical truth.

3. I put down the Body of Christ- I always post statuses on Facebook that talk about how the average Christian misses the mark. I have to remember that each believer is a sibling…and just as valuable to the Kingdom as I am.

4. I trust God only with my surplus- It is easy to give God praise when there is money in my bank account. It is also easy to trust Him when I have extra. God desires that I step out without a guarantee that my foot will hit pavement. The Lord, who is perfect in love, knows what I need, and has historically always provided.

5. I spend too much time talking to God- Much of my prayer time consists of me asking for things, or different circumstances. I think that God has more to say to me than I allow Him.

6. I study His word instead of living it- God’s commands are not meant to be merely memorized, but obeyed. Enough said here.

7. I don’t thank God enough for my family- My biggest support system consists of my wife, children, parents (and in laws), grandparents and siblings (including sister in law). I always yearn for encouragement, but it seems to always come for free with them.

I am so glad that grace is a real thing. Jesus puts up with so much that I do.